Today in Politics, Bulletin 48. 1/15/25 Ron Filipkowski Jan 16 … Jim Jordan said Trump should move the 2028 LA Olympics to a Republican city in a Republican state like FL or OH because Democrats supposedly can’t run cities competently: “Especially when they (CA) are spending their time trying to Trump-proof their state - looking to set up barriers and obstacles to what the American people elected us to do. The American people see how poorly that state is being run. But I will leave that up to President Trump.” … In a highly unusual move, Mike Johnson had removed Rep. Mike Turner from his position as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Punchbowl broke the story and Daily Beast confirmed with two sources that it was Trump who wanted Turner out. Mike Johnson dutifully complied with his master’s command, just like he did when he killed the bipartisan border bill, and just like he did yesterday when he announced the flags would be raised for Trump’s inauguration despite the death of Jimmy Carter. … It appears that Sen. Marsha Blackburn is going to be running for Governor of Tennessee in 2026, according to Axios and reporting from local outlets. Several other prominent Republicans are considering a run, but Marsha’s team has reportedly been making calls to elected officials around the state seeking their early endorsement for her big announcement. … Tik Tok is going to shut down their app in the US this Sunday to comply with the bipartisan law last year requiring the Chinese owners sell their stake or be banned. According to The Information, they will not divest and will shut the app down on January 19, unless the Supreme Court decision expected any day overturns the law. But that is looking very unlikely based on how oral arguments went. … The sad part about that is the majority of users of Tik Tok are young progressives - and even they are blaming Democrats for this because Joe Biden was for the bill and signed it into law. But more Republicans voted for this law than Democrats in Congress, and Donald Trump called for a total ban (not a divesture) just a year ago, then reversed himself after a meeting with Tik Tok’s CEO. But on the app, Democrats are being blamed. … The other problem is that most young creative users of Tik Tok either aren’t educated on how the Chinese can use your data for nefarious purposes or don’t care, and that is the main argument for divesture. Tik Tok is banned in China. … Trump is also trying to curry favor with Tik Tok users by blaming it all on Democrats. WaPo is reporting that he may issue some kind of executive order to try and block the law from taking effect. That is clearly illegal but it could delay things for a few weeks and further convince Tik Tok users he is on their side. … Nancy Mace is now claiming that when she said to Jasmine Crockett yesterday, “Let’s take it outside,” that she wasn’t challenging her to a fight: “There’s been a lot of speculation about my intentions during a heated exchange earlier today. Let me be clear: I wanted to take the conversation off the floor to have a more constructive conversation, not to fight.” … Yeah right. Her mouth got ahead of her brain and then she thought about it for a few minutes and backed down quick. … But she said she is in no condition to fight anyway after suffering severe injuries last month while shaking hands with a foster care advocate: “I was just assaulted by a pro-trans man a few weeks ago and am still in physical therapy for my injuries. I know firsthand how the Left is capable of doing real physical harm.” … Rep Tim Burchett said that he believes Nancy Mace is going to run for Governor of South Carolina. … Jill Biden was asked by WaPo about Nancy Pelosi’s call for Joe to drop out of the race after his debate with Trump: “Let’s just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded. I learned a lot about human nature. It’s been on my mind a lot lately. We were friends for 50 years. It was disappointing.” … Mike Pence came out strongly against RFK Jr. today, and sent a letter to Republican Senators urging them to reject his nomination because of his position on abortion: “While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to pro-life leaders that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time. There are hundreds of decisions made every day at HHS that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it—decisions about federal funding for Planned Parenthood, regulations on the abortion pill, insurance coverage of abortion, and more.” … I’m opposed to RFK Jr for other reasons, but if this can convince a few Republican Senators I’ll all for it. Not sure it will, but I’m always hopeful! … Ron Desantis threw a temper tantrum today after the Republican state Senate President and House Speaker rejected his demand that they call a special session immediately to help provide funding to help Trump mass deport migrants: “If Republicans don’t want to support this and they want to vote that down, then their constituents will hold them accountable. I was really surprised at their letter. It’s somehow premature to act with a new president coming in? Are you kidding me? We don’t have time to wait.” … Here’s the thing. FL has a part-time legislature. Tallahassee is pretty remote. Their salary is low. They all have other jobs and businesses where they make a hell of a lot more money. They don’t want to go up there early for a month just so Lame Duck Ron can grandstand and try and play tough guy for his 2028 presidential run. But there’s a decent chance they cave with Desantis now threatening them. They always have in the past. We will see how much clout he has left with them. … Desantis said he was partnered up in a golf match yesterday with Trump against 3 other players and, you guessed it, Team Trump/Desantis won: “We were on the same team, it was two of us against three other players. Usually when I play against him his partner is a touring pro and I get some random player and we are getting killed.” … He also said that Trump told him: “I know inflation was a big deal, but the number one issue why I got elected was immigration and the border.” … If any of you have been regular viewers of my podcast Uncovered, you know that I have said since 2022 many, many times that if Democrats lose the 2024 election it will be because of the border. I said it over and over and over again. But Democrats didn’t want to talk about it or address it until it was too late. I knew exactly what Trump was going to do with it during the campaign, and we walked right into his trap with a very bad border policy and communication plan. … Justice Alito, during oral arguments in PornHub’s lawsuit to overturn some state requirements that users to porn sites provide their IDs: “What percentage of the material is not obscene? Is it like the old Playboy magazine where you have essays in there by Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr?” Not exactly. They have plots though. Somewhat. At least that’s what people have told me because I don’t know anything about all that. … Wisconsin Democrat Ben Wikler picked up another key endorsement for DNC Chair, with Sen. Chris Murphy joining Chuck Schumer, Stacey Abrams and others: “We need to rebuild the Democratic Party so that we can compete everywhere and win back working class voters that are key to our coalition. Ben rebuilt the WI State Party. He understands the urgency of this moment, and is willing to challenge the party to break out of its static complacency and build the kind of permanent information infrastructure that the Right has and we don’t.” … Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) says he is not on board with Trump’s attempt to eliminate the debt ceiling in exchange for aid to wildfire victims in CA, but not because he wants to help CA: “My swamp creature colleagues have their head up their rear right now. They’re about to do a deal with Democrats to cut a monster Appropriations package rather than cutting spending.” … CA Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to knock down conspiracy theories as fast as they pop up. Ted Cruz claimed today that “Dem politicians are making it HARDER for those devastated by the wildfires to sell their properties.” Newsom responded: “Openly shilling for scammers and bottom feeder land speculators is a weird play - even for you, Ted. Our Executive Order doesn’t prevent anyone from selling their property. It prohibits scammers from making unsolicited offers to buy property for pennies on the dollar.” … A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has officially been brokered after a year of intensive negotiations between the parties and the US. The Biden Administration has made this one of its top goals that they wanted to accomplish before leaving office, with reports saying that Joe Biden has spent more time on this than any other issue in the closing weeks of his presidency. … The ceasefire will be done in multiple phases, with the first phase including the release of approximately 33 hostages from Hamas custody. Hamas still had 94 hostages but it is unclear how many of those remain alive. The remaining hostages, both alive and dead, will be released in the multiple phases of the deal. The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected to approve the deal shortly. It is possible that the deal could begin to be implemented as soon as this weekend. … Naturally, Trump was quick to claim all the credit for it despite not being in office yet: “This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of hour Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Admin would seek Peace. We have achieved as much without even being in the WH.” … Lauren Boebert: “Hamas has approved a ceasefire hostage agreement. President Trump’s strong leadership is already making the world a safer place.” … Yes, it is gross that Trump is claiming credit for a signature Biden Admin achievement. Again. And I know that Biden and other senior staffers in the WH have complained for years that they don’t get credit from the American people for their accomplishments. But I will say that part of that is their fault. They understood the policy part of the job and prioritized that. But they never understood or prioritized the communications part of the job. That was demonstrated again on this. Trump and his allies were immediately out there loudly claiming credit, the WH wasn’t. … Yes, the Biden Admin issued a press release. Statements will be made later. I get that. But the world has changed and those old methods of communication in the social media era simply aren’t good enough. There is so much more they could have done to get out in front of this, but they are always two steps behind in communications. Trump’s statement was out before the Biden Admin statement, and they mobilized their army of elected officials and influencers across all platforms to claim credit. … Biden Cabinet officials were chosen for their competence and ability to run their agencies. But another important factor is the ability to communicate to the American public, fight back against Republican attacks, and tout your accomplishments in a convincing manner. But this Admin was populated, with a small handful of exceptions who were great like Pete Buttigieg, with TERRIBLE communicators. Two of the most critical positions where we needed good communicators was AG and DHS. We had Garland and Mayorkas. I rest my case. … Trump’s Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio testified at his confirmation hearing that Ukraine must give up some of the territory that Russia has conquered with their invasion if they want a peace deal: “This has to end. There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians.” … Sen. Mike Lee’s brutal ‘advise and consent’ interrogation of Rubio: “Marco Rubio is a great friend and a good man. My only regret when he becomes Secretary of State is that I’ll miss working together in the Senate.” … Trump’s AG pick Pam Bondi absurdly claimed in her confirmation hearing today that she never heard the recording of Trump trying to pressure GA Gov Brian Kemp and Sec of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” him the votes to overturn the results in GA in 2020. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … Bondi was also asked by Sen. Hirono who won the 2020 election. Bondi: “Joe Biden is the president.” Hirono: “You cannot say who won the election?” Bondi sat in silence and refused to answer. Hirono: “It’s disturbing that you can’t give voice to that fact.” If Bondi gave voice to that fact, she wouldn’t be Trump’s AG nominee … KJP conducted her final press conference as Joe Biden’s Press Secretary: “The give and take that happens here is incredibly healthy and it is part of our democracy. I have been honored to partake in it with all of you, well, most of the time. It is my sincere hope that I, while I may be the first for many things at this podium, behind this lectern, I am not the last.” … Sen. Joni Ernst caved to intense pressure from Trump and MAGA, which included threats of a primary opponent, and issued a statement that she would vote for Pete Hegseth. She was considered a key Republican because she was a woman who served in combat and was also a victim of sexual assault. It was clear by the fact that she refused to make the announcement on camera or talk to reporters about it that she knew it was wrong and surrendered to Trump. … Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) claims that the protesters who disrupted Hegseth’s confirmation hearing were planted there by Democratic Senators: “Those protesters sat in designated seats. They were invited in by Senators to hold signs and disrupt. Political propaganda.” … The New Yorker is reporting that Trump’s Transition Team conducted “an intense, and in many ways unprecedented, behind-the-scenes pressure campaign to intimidate and silence potential witnesses” who could have provided testimony about Hegseth’s sex assault and alcohol issues. … Donald Trump Jr. has just been hired as a “consultant” for the gambling firm Kalshi, which takes bets on political events, elections, appointments, etc. Junior: “I immediately knew I had to contribute to their mission. Today, I am proud to announce that I am joining Kalshi as a strategic advisor. It’s time to bet on whether Biden is going to pardon Fauci and Liz Cheney.” … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has introduced a bill to ban betting on elections and political contests. He cited Junior getting hired to work for one of them while his father is president as another example of how they can be used to scam people. I’m sure Junior’s first order of business in his new job will be to make sure that never becomes law. … Rising Dem star and MD Gov Wes Moore said he is prepared to work with Trump to benefit his state, but will push back when necessary: “I’m not the leader of the resistance. I’m the governor of MD. My job is to make sure that the 6.5 million people who call MD home are going to be supported, protected, that their freedoms and their rights are going to be honored, and their hopes and their dreams and aspirations are going to be invested in and supported. I have been very clear that I will work with anybody who wants to be a good partner, but I am also prepared to make sure that we will push back when we see those basic rights being violated.” … The WSJ is reporting that some Republican Senators were unhappy with how their meetings with Trump DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard went. Their sources were multiple Republican Senate staffers and even a Trump Transition official - which shows Team Trump may already be making plans to go in a different direction if she washes out. … In her meeting with Sen. James Lankford (R. OK), Gabbard wasn’t even capable of explaining what exactly the role of director of national intelligence entails. When she met with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Gabbard was confused about some key laws and policies on intelligence surveillance powers, and continued to mix up some policies and statutes with others, demonstrating that she doesn’t understand exactly what DNI does. … When asked by Rounds how, as DNI, she would handle specific elements of the job, she said she would have to wait to see when she gets there. Those kinds of answers reportedly did not make Rounds very happy. But then she came back for a second meeting with Rounds and she apparently was prepped with the correct answers because he said that meeting was much better than the first. How comforting. … Several of the Trump Admin’s nominees have had their confirmation hearings delayed, including Kristi Noem, Gabbard, Kash Patel, RFK Jr. That is because their FBI background checks have not been completed for two reasons - there is a lot there to investigate, and the Trump Transition team signed the agreement to get these done way too late. … Trump thought he was going to get away with ramming these nominees through the Senate without background checks since it was controlled by Republicans. That is why they stalled so long before signing transition agreement documents. But several Republican Senators let them know that was unacceptable to them and Trump finally relented. So now he is complaining that his nominees are being delayed - but they are delayed because of his intransigence. … In a new interview, Ivanka Trump explains why she didn’t want to serve in daddy’s Admin this time: “I love policy and impact, but I hate politics. Unfortunately, the two are not separable. You know, there is a darkness to that world that I don’t really want to welcome into mine. It’s a very dark, negative business. Some people love the gladiator aspect of it. You know, the fight. That was never me.” … The lobbying firm Rubin Turnbull & Associates announced it is opening an office in DC for the first time to gear up for the Trump Admin. It just so happens that they hired the daughter of Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to lead it. Bill Rubin: “This DC office marks an exciting expansion of our firm. Today, we launch a new chapter, and with the leadership of Caroline Wiles, I am confident that this will be one of our most successful ventures to date.” … I’m sure it will. So much for draining the swamp. Trump never drained any “swamp” from DC. He brought a swamp with him. … Texas Gov Greg Abbott and Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds both announced that their states will raise their flags from half-staff for Jimmy Carter to full-staff on the 20th when Trump is inaugurated, then they will return the flags to half-staff on the 21st so they only break the 70-year American tradition for one day to satisfy Trump’s fragile ego. … Trump’s inauguration is reportedly going to have a large garbage truck in it to commemorate when Trump drove up to a campaign rally in a garbage truck in WI to mock Joe Biden for supposedly calling his supporters “garbage”. … Mark Zuckerberg has now been announced as the host of Trump’s pre-inaugural ball reception with Trump mega-donor Miriam Adelson. … Russian State TV Monitor Julia Davis reports that the primetime hosts of their most popular political show said that they agreed with Trump’s position that it is acceptable to use force to seize smaller countries, and said that the US and Russia should split Greenland and take it over together. … Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) introduced a bill today to massively raise the tax on the interest earned by University endowments from 1.4% to 21%: “Elite private universities have accumulated and sit on massive university endowments. Meanwhile, these universities have significantly increased tuition.” The tax would apply to private schools with 500 or more students. … Trump pledged during his campaign to seize university endowments if they have DEI programs. … Republican state legislatures continue to pass draconian new laws restricting reproductive rights. Now a new Indiana bill would require victims of rape to present doctors with a signed affidavit attesting to the truth of their assault in order to receive an abortion under the state's rape or incest abortion exception. This would open up the victim to investigation and charges of perjury, which is punishable by up to 2.5 years in prison. The bill would also outlaw the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol and makes it a crime to possess or prescribe abortion medication. … The bill, introduced by MAGA Sen. Mike Young (R-Indianapolis), would re-traumatize sexual assault survivors. OB-GYN Dr. Caitlyn Bernard: Patients are "likely to not seek care if they know they will be forced to go through this agonizing process. This is a government intrusion into medicine and healthcare with no other purpose but to put extreme ideology into law and take medical options away from patients."